Trump move sparks ‘ three days of rage’
US PRESIDENT Donald Trump will officially recognise Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, a potentially dangerous change that will spark “three days of rage” in Palestine.
White House officials have confirmed the President’s decision to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, ahead of the President’s speech on the subject early tomorrow, Australian time.
Senior White House staffers said the move was designed to acknowledge the “reality” that Jerusalem was the capital of Israel and fulfil a “major campaign promise”.
The change in policy is controversial because it is likely to be viewed in the region as the US siding with Israel. King Abdullah of Jordan said the decision “would constitute a flagrant provocation to all Muslims, all over the world”.
Talk of the change received a swift rebuke from a Palestinian faction, who called for pro- tests to start on Wednesday ( Israel time) and continue through to Friday, according to The Jerusalem Post. There are fears the demonstrations will turn violent.
“We call on all our people in Israel and around the world to gather in city centres and Israeli embassies and consulates, with the aim of bringing about general popular anger,” Palestinian national and Islamic forces said in a statement.
The White House said the city’s place as the capital was both a “historical reality” that stretched back to the establishment of Israel in 1948, and a “current reality” given it was home to the supreme court, parliament and prime minister.
“The President is affirming a reality, a seven- decade- old fact,” a senior White House official said.
The status of Jerusalem is volatile because it contains sites that are holy to Judaism, Islam and Christianity.
Mr Trump’s decision could imply that Israel has sovereignty of east Jerusalem, which Palestinians seek as their capital under a two- state solution. The White House says movement of the embassy does not “speak to” those conflicts.
Regardless, the move will not be immediate. Tomorrow, Mr Trump will direct the US State Department to begin moving the embassy, a process that takes at least three years. A site has yet to be chosen.